‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’ John 3:17
Many people think of God as an angry head teacher or boss, quick to point a giant finger with scorn in the direction of those He sees from his lofty heavens above (think ‘Monty Python: The Quest for the Holy Grail’). It’s not helped by (what I like to call) ‘Bible bashers’ loitering on busy street corners, who only seem to loudly spew religious lingo of fire, damnation and God’s eternal wrath on those who will not repent, whilst brandishing an alien big black leather book.
Although ‘Bible bashers’ are right, they forget completely about how we came to know that this world is in trouble. If God had wanted to condemn the world, He wouldn’t have bothered sending his only precious Son (as seen in the famous previous verse of this), not only to live a set apart life but to take on all of the world’s deserved punishment for rejecting Him – the most excruciating death any human being could bear.
Jesus came not to condemn, but to provide an escape, a way out for us who realize that we can never live up to the impossible expectations God has for us, as we have openly rebelled against Him. If we accept Jesus’ grace, ask Him to completely wipe away all that has wronged Him and that He'd help us live His perfect way instead of our own, we are saved by the Saviour.
If I rack my brains, I cannot think of anyone else who would love us this much, who would forgive us completely and who would promise His adopted children the skies, despite our previous disowning of our Father. May this incredible truth never leave our bodies, minds and hearts, and let’s thank our Saviour for His everlasting love for this needy world.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Friday, 5 June 2009
The Truth
‘And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.’ John 1:14
It’s hard to imagine a famous celebrity, MP or even a member of the Royal Family wanting to give up their expensive wealth, status and lifestyle to live permanently with the poorest people in the poorest places of the world: those in slums, communities hit by natural disasters and African villages wiped out by HIV and AIDS, lacking basic sanitation and suffering from starvation.
Some may drop in to pay visits every now and again, usually with a camera crew to show the rest of the world how good they are. But how many remain in those areas for over thirty years?
And I don’t think any of them would suffer excruciating pain and die to deliver them from the dangerous situations they face.
But in this case, we’re talking about a deity here. And not just any old god: the only true living God, who has the Earth as his footstool (Isaiah 66:1). 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to earth from the splendour of Heaven, in the lowly form of a human being. The King of the Universe willing humbled himself (because he loves us because he loves us because he loves us) and served us completely and utterly by dying for us on the cross.
He saves everyone who acknowledges that we have ignored Him and have gone our way instead of His right way, which leads to death and eternal isolation.
By His grace, our wonderful gift which cannot be earned, we can now have a relationship with the God who we were previously cut off from, through Jesus who has risen from the dead and is alive forever.
How amazing! Jesus loves us so much to reveal this truth to us, although we don’t deserve to after our rebellious act of rejecting God. He delivers us from the dire situation we face, cut off from God. The Gospels stand as testament, as proof, that Jesus is indeed the Word and our Saviour, and was planned from the beginning of time to save us.
In Christ,
Imogen xox
It’s hard to imagine a famous celebrity, MP or even a member of the Royal Family wanting to give up their expensive wealth, status and lifestyle to live permanently with the poorest people in the poorest places of the world: those in slums, communities hit by natural disasters and African villages wiped out by HIV and AIDS, lacking basic sanitation and suffering from starvation.
Some may drop in to pay visits every now and again, usually with a camera crew to show the rest of the world how good they are. But how many remain in those areas for over thirty years?
And I don’t think any of them would suffer excruciating pain and die to deliver them from the dangerous situations they face.
But in this case, we’re talking about a deity here. And not just any old god: the only true living God, who has the Earth as his footstool (Isaiah 66:1). 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to earth from the splendour of Heaven, in the lowly form of a human being. The King of the Universe willing humbled himself (because he loves us because he loves us because he loves us) and served us completely and utterly by dying for us on the cross.
He saves everyone who acknowledges that we have ignored Him and have gone our way instead of His right way, which leads to death and eternal isolation.
By His grace, our wonderful gift which cannot be earned, we can now have a relationship with the God who we were previously cut off from, through Jesus who has risen from the dead and is alive forever.
How amazing! Jesus loves us so much to reveal this truth to us, although we don’t deserve to after our rebellious act of rejecting God. He delivers us from the dire situation we face, cut off from God. The Gospels stand as testament, as proof, that Jesus is indeed the Word and our Saviour, and was planned from the beginning of time to save us.
In Christ,
Imogen xox
Sunday, 10 May 2009
Why I hate religion
Sorry for not updating this in the last few weeks. I have my AS levels very soon so am trying to revise (!!!) In the meantime, a relative of mine posted this up on Facebook last night, and from reading it I couldn't agree more with what he says. Here it is:
'This may seem a strange post coming from a born again Christian...but I want you all to know that I hate religion.
Why, you may be wondering...isn't this what you are living for, and all about?
Well, in a word, No!
The Bible teaches clearly that we have been made to have a relationship with God, not perform a load of duties for a distant God who we are worried is going to smite us if we don't do what he tells us. The Bible says that this kind of obligation-based living on its own is dung (to use a pleasant word). If this is the kind of experience you have had of Christianity then let me apologise, seriously.
Everyone hates people who are self-righteous, and this is what a lot of 'religious' people can be like, because they feel very proud of their moral performance to make God happy.
I want you all to know that anyone that claims to be a Christian should be among the least self-righteous people you ever meet. Why?, you may ask. You religious types are all the same, you want everyone to know how good you are.
Well, this is not the case and let me explain why:
SALVATION BY RELIGION
This is where many religious groups believe that if they are a good enough person they will be saved by God and spend eternity in heaven. The Bible refers to these efforts as being about as pleasant to God's mind as a used tampon! Pretty graphic isn't it...
SALVATION BY GRACE
This means that its a free gift.... If you know that you're not perfect (which you're not...and i'm certainly not) and God is, then you will recognise correctly that we are not on an equal footing with him. So because of this we can't enter into a relationship with him... so how do we solve this problem?
Work harder... read the bible more... pray... wrong!
Jesus came and lived the perfect life that we couldn't and God substituted him in our place. He took the just punishment that we should have, and so if you accept that Jesus did this for you as a free gift (because he loves you!!) then you can know the joy of having an intimate personal relationship with him.
Jesus came to give life to the full (John 10:10)... not to kill it, and the way we get this is by knowing our creator God by relationship...not ritualistic do-gooding.
The joy that comes from this wonderful relationship is incredible, it sets your life on a rock which will not be moved and you then get to realise the plans that God has for your life.'
(For more of his articles, check out http://www.reason.cck.org.uk/)
'This may seem a strange post coming from a born again Christian...but I want you all to know that I hate religion.
Why, you may be wondering...isn't this what you are living for, and all about?
Well, in a word, No!
The Bible teaches clearly that we have been made to have a relationship with God, not perform a load of duties for a distant God who we are worried is going to smite us if we don't do what he tells us. The Bible says that this kind of obligation-based living on its own is dung (to use a pleasant word). If this is the kind of experience you have had of Christianity then let me apologise, seriously.
Everyone hates people who are self-righteous, and this is what a lot of 'religious' people can be like, because they feel very proud of their moral performance to make God happy.
I want you all to know that anyone that claims to be a Christian should be among the least self-righteous people you ever meet. Why?, you may ask. You religious types are all the same, you want everyone to know how good you are.
Well, this is not the case and let me explain why:
SALVATION BY RELIGION
This is where many religious groups believe that if they are a good enough person they will be saved by God and spend eternity in heaven. The Bible refers to these efforts as being about as pleasant to God's mind as a used tampon! Pretty graphic isn't it...
SALVATION BY GRACE
This means that its a free gift.... If you know that you're not perfect (which you're not...and i'm certainly not) and God is, then you will recognise correctly that we are not on an equal footing with him. So because of this we can't enter into a relationship with him... so how do we solve this problem?
Work harder... read the bible more... pray... wrong!
Jesus came and lived the perfect life that we couldn't and God substituted him in our place. He took the just punishment that we should have, and so if you accept that Jesus did this for you as a free gift (because he loves you!!) then you can know the joy of having an intimate personal relationship with him.
Jesus came to give life to the full (John 10:10)... not to kill it, and the way we get this is by knowing our creator God by relationship...not ritualistic do-gooding.
The joy that comes from this wonderful relationship is incredible, it sets your life on a rock which will not be moved and you then get to realise the plans that God has for your life.'
(For more of his articles, check out http://www.reason.cck.org.uk/)
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